And For The Moment Of Truth
by Fearless.Love.Life
Summary: When Derek is asked to be on The Moment Of Truth, a reality game show, will there be a discovery about a secret relationship between Derek and Casey?
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so I finished this at like, three in the morning, so I wasn't all there. I'm aware that Spain isn't in South America, but I just wasn't thinking clearly. Also, I changed it around alot, so I just forgot to change it. Also, being the bright one that I am, I didn't even realize about the Emily-calling-Casey thing.. but that was also changed around. **

**Thanks for catching all of my mistakes! **

Derek gets onto the show "Moment Of Truth" and is asked question resulting into Derek/Casey relationship discovery

EXTRA POINTERS:

Edwin and Lizzie watching it from home, relatives, friends.

Derek gets asked a question about Casey.

Casey, Sally, George, Nora and your own choice on the bench.

A Casey/Derek kiss.

Not too OOC.

-can be a oneshot, twoshot or threeshot

--And As For The Truth--

As soon as the final bell rang at Sir John Sparrow Thomson High School, Derek rushed home to the Venturi/MacDonald residence to check the messages on the answering machine. He had been expecting a call, and was anxious to find out the answer to his question.

'You have two unheard messages.' The automated voice rang through the empty house, as Derek typed in the code.

'First unheard message, sent today at eight thirty-two:_ Hey Lizzie.. it's Jamie. Anyways, things seemed kinda weird between us yesterday. So I'm just calling you like I said I would. So call me back when you get this. 'Kay... bye.'_

Derek rolled his eyes, and deleted the message. Jamie seemed nervous, and if he hadn't told Lizzie what was on his mind, he probably never will.

'Message deleted. Next message, sent today at two fifty-three: _This is a message for Derek Venturi. This is Howard Schultz, from The Moment Of Truth. You have been chosen to be a contestant on the show, two weeks from today. You will receive a package in the mail, giving you more information. Call back at this number to confirm your spot on the show. Thank you and we will hopefully see you then.'_

Derek listened to the message a few more times, before the news sank in; he would be on his new favourite TV show. The Moment of Truth had been his new obsession since the beginning of the year, when it had first premiered.

He ran to the front of his house, opened the door, and checked the mail. Sure enough, there was a package addressed to him, among bills for George and Nora, and magazines for the rest of the kids. He took the thick, manila envelope, left the rest of the mail, and went back inside.

Derek searched the kitchen for a well-needed snack, and a letter opener. As soon as he had accomplished both tasks, he sat down at the kitchen counter, and opened his letter. Inside was a thick stack of papers, explaining the rules of the game show. After reading a few pages, he discovered the rules. The show was simple; there was the contestant, who would be hooked up to a polygraph before the show, and they would be asked questions. During the show, they would be asked twenty-one of the same questions, but they wouldn't know the results of the polygraph test. In the end, if they answer all of the personal questions truthfully, they win 500, 000.

Derek was fairly confident about this. There was nothing _too_ embarrassing about his past. At least, nothing that would hurt anyone close. He had had his fair share of relationships, but nothing serious, so the chance of him being questioned about someone special was next to nothing.

Unless you counted his past with Casey. One night, about a year before, they had been locked in their upstairs bathroom, during what Derek liked to call, 'The Party of the Year.' The doorknob had been broken, and Casey had slammed the door while Derek was trying to fix it, resulting in the two of them being locked in there for a few hours. There had been some harsh words, a few apologies, and one big round of forgiveness. There, on the cold, bathroom floor, they had fallen in love.

Their relationship had been put on hold, while Casey was on a foreign exchange trip to Spain. She had been there already for four months, and wasn't expected back for another two. Since it was their last year at high school, Casey had been looking for ways to impress the university deans all around the country. She had figured that by going to a foreign place, learning how to speak Spanish fluently, and teaching an English-As-A-Second-Language class, she would be easily accepted. Of course, this was all true; Casey had the potential and the knowledge to get into Ivy League schools like Yale and Harvard, if she wanted to.

But no one knew of their relationship, not even their younger siblings. If word got out that Derek was going out with Casey, his step-sister, he wasn't sure what would come out of it. Maybe people would view them as freaks, but on the other hand, maybe people, including their parents, would be totally cool with it.

Derek continued reading the package, until he had memorized all of the rules. Silently going over them in his head, he heard the sound of a key in the door. He knew that his family was home, and he would have to tell them the good news at some point that night.

'Hi Derek,' George said, walking into the kitchen, carrying a bag of groceries. 'Mind bringing in a few bags?'

Derek picked up his papers, stuffed them into the envelope, and rolled his eyes at his father. 'Dad. Do you really see me bringing in your food?'

George sighed. He knew it was a lost cause, when it came to Derek and helping other people. 'I wasn't asking, Derek.' He said, trying to show responsibility and parenting skills, which were more for his sake than his son's.

'I know you weren't asking, which is why you should get...' he grabbed Lizzie's shoulder, just as she was walking in the door, her arms full of paper bags full of food. '…Liz to help you out.'

George rolled his eyes, knowing that he had lost the battle between him and his son. As he set the bags down, he said, 'Derek, we need to have a talk at dinner. I got a call today, involving you.'

Derek leaned against the frame of the kitchen door. 'About what?'

'About some game or something?' George said, slightly distracted by the sight of his younger son, who had just walked into the room, covered in mud.

Derek shrugged, 'Hmm. You must be confused with someone else.' He knew that if he got into details now, George wouldn't pay the least bit of attention, with his ton of groceries and his other son trying to dig a hole to China.

He walked out of the kitchen, and into his room, where he closed the door, and looked at one of his current prized possessions; a framed picture of him and Casey, taken at the fall fair at the kid's middle school. Both of the teenagers looked so happy that day, and both Derek and Casey had copies of the picture, which Casey had with her, in Spain.

--And As For The Truth--

As the family sat down for dinner, Derek felt all eyes on him, as he was passed the mashed potatoes and the green beans.

'Okay. _What_ is with the staring, eh?' Derek asked, serving himself generous helpings of food.

'Derek. We heard from Sam that you heard from a game show... The Moment Of Truth or something?' George said, looking at his son.

'You heard about that? That was supposed to be my big announcement.' Derek said, shifting slightly on his seat, feeling the package that he was sitting on. 'I heard from them today. I go on the show in two weeks.'

'Really?' Lizzie asked, looking excited. There hadn't been anything this exciting in the MacDonald/ Venturi residence since Casey's departure to Europes. But that had been four months ago.

Derek nodded. 'It's like a big game of Truth. They ask you questions, and you have to answer them carefully. But you're attached to a polygraph, so they know that you're telling the truth.'

'So even if it's a really embarrassing question, you _have_ to answer it?' Edwin asked.

'Yup.' Derek confirmed. 'And if you answer all twenty-one, you win 500, 000.'

'Smereck!' Marti exclaimed, from her spot under the dining room table. 'You'll be a bajillionaire! You can take us to Disneyland!'

'Sure thing, Smarti.' Derek said, ruffling her hair. And although his plans with his soon-to-be 500, 000 had nothing to do with giant dancing mice, he had to admire his little sister's enthusiasm towards the money. He would have to buy her something nice.

'So, you're going to be on a game show?' Nora asked, still confused with his step-son's plans to be on TV. Derek was forever looking for ways to be in the spotlight. It started with his stint as a guitarist in his now-deceased band, D-Rock. Then, it had been his 'calling' as an actor, where he had been in the school play, along side with his step-sister. He was good enough at both music and acting, but nothing really seemed to grab him. At school, he was known as the school prankster and comedian, and he loved being in the spotlight. Being on TV would be a chance of a lifetime for him.

Derek nodded proudly. He knew that he could win the prize money; he didn't embarrass very easily. And the chance of anyone asking him about his step-sister was next to nothing, so he had nothing to worry about. He could take almost any question.

'Well,' Nora said, 'Good for you, then. What are you going to do with the money?'

'Actually, I have no idea.' Derek said. This much was true. He hadn't thought of what his real plan was, but he had ideas and fantasies. He would buy as much as he wanted, live in a mansion, and be surrounded by hot girls. This idea was tossed away, when Derek remembered Casey. Sure, he had gone on random dates, but that was only to fool the parents. Casey was okay with the idea; they had talked about it, so neither George nor Nora would ever find out.

'You could buy me a boat?' Edwin asked hopefully. Derek knew he was joking, but couldn't help himself, 'You aren't even old enough to drive, Ed.'

'Yeah, but you could buy me a hot driving teacher.' Edwin explained. Derek grinned. He was becoming just like his older brother.

'Maybe. But until then, I'll do the boat riding with the hot babes, thank you very much.' Derek said, smirking.

It seemed that the MacDonald/Venturi family was taking this well. Derek had expected some sort of outburst from George, or a questioning from Nora. His family's reaction had been pretty smooth. Now, only to tell Casey the good news.

**Okay, so this is for a challenge. I plan to make it a threeshot. So tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

After dinner, Derek excused himself, ran to his room, and picked up the cordless phone that was lying in the cradle

**Okay, again, I am **_**soo**_** sorry about the mix-up about Spain. I tend to get stupid when I'm tired. I'm sorry if I offended anyone, and I hope you forgive me. ******

**I own nothing. **

**Enjoy! ******

After dinner, Derek excused himself, ran to his room, and picked up the cordless phone that was lying in the cradle. He dialed the number, which he had called so many times; it would be etched into his mind forever.

After what had seemed like forever, someone picked up. 'Hola?' an unfamiliar voice answered.

'Esta Casey alli?' Derek said, glad that his tenth-grade Spanish class was finally paying off.

'Ella esta aqui mismo, dejarme consequirla.' The voice spoke.

'Um, what?' Derek asked, perplexed. His vocabulary consisted of Hi, How are you, It's nice to meet you, and Goodbye; he had never had a real conversation in Spanish.

'Ella esta aqui mismo, dejarme consequirla' the person repeated, a bit less patiently. Derek could hear someone talking to the other person, and once he heard his name being spoken, he knew that it was Casey.

'Derek?' Casey's voice flooded into his ear, making him smile.

'Case? It's been too long! How've you been?'

'Oh my God, the weather is gorgeous! And guess what?' Casey asked, waiting for Derek to attempt to guess.

'You're coming home?' Derek asked, perhaps a bit too eager.

'Actually, yes.' Casey said.

Derek was caught off guard; he hadn't been expecting to guess right? 'You're what?'

'It turns out that the school doesn't need me for six months, and I've done all that I need to, so I can basically come home whenever I want. Isn't that great?' Casey announced, all in one breath.

'T-That's great.' Derek stammered. He was planning on flying her out to see the show. 'But Case?'

'Yeah?' Casey asked, sounding slightly distracted.

'You know, 'The Moment of Truth'?'

'Yes! I love that show!' Casey exclaimed. Although that show was aired there in Spain, the airdate for each episode was three weeks later, so Derek and Casey couldn't really discuss the different people being bombarded with personal questions for the chance to win Five hundred thousand dollars.

'So, being the amazing person that I am,' Derek started, smirking. His ego was much too large than it should be, 'I signed up to be on the show-'

'-You did what?' Casey interrupted. 'People could find out about… _us.'_ She said, whispering the last part of her sentence.

'Case. Relax. No one's going to find out. I can promise you.' Derek said, trying to reassure his stepsister.

'But… but what if they ask something about it? You're attached to a polygraph, for God's sake!' Casey asked, 'You can't lie your way out of it this time!'

'The chances of them asking something like that are like, nil. Nobody has relationships with their step-sibs.'

'Thanks, Derek.' Casey said, quietly.

'Casey. That's not what I meant, and you know that.' Derek said, sighing. 'But what we have is special, but people wouldn't see that as normal. The most personal thing that they would ask about siblings is whether I've gotten off with their girlfriends.'

Casey giggled, not offended anymore. She knew that there was no way in the world that Derek would flirt with one of Edwin's girlfriends. They were usually as weird as he was.

'So Case? Are you gonna be able to fly to Toronto for the show? I'm allowed to have my dad, Nora, Sally, you, and Sam.'

'I'll check and get back to you, okay?' Casey asked. 'But why Sally?'

'Because she's like, one of my best friends.' Derek said, 'Except for you, of course. Besides, her and Sam are going out now. I can't split them up!' He added as an afterthought, rolling his eyes.

Casey shrugged. 'Okay. So when exactly is it?'

'February 14th. Is that okay with 'The Boss?" Derek asked, in reference to the loud, voluptuous Senora Sanchez, the Spanish teacher, and the woman in charge of the foreign exchange trip. She loved order, and Derek was not one of her favourite students, ever since he failed Spanish, and had to get extra tutoring periods with her.

'February 14th? That's Valentines Day! That's so perfect!' Casey exclaimed, sounding excited. Valentines day was always one of her favourite holidays, seeing as she loved romance and corny valentines.

'I know, right?' Derek said, 'But I should go. I have to pretend to write an essay on World War II, so that my dad doesn't make me study or something'

'Derek, work, okay? Call me when you get more information about the show, alright?' Casey said, sad to see her boyfriend go. 'I'll talk to you later.'

'I love you, 'kay?' Derek said, smiling through the phone.

'I love you too. Later, Derek.'

'Bye.' Derek replaced the phone on the cradle, and laid his head down against his pillow, sighing to himself.

Derek woke up to a knock on the front door. 'Isn't anyone gonna get that?' he mumbled grumpily. He walked down the stairs, and opened the door.

'Letter for Derek Venturi?' a delivery man stood at the MacDonald/Venturi's door, small, white envelope in hand.

'That's me.' Derek said, and the man held out a pen to him.

Derek took the pen, and not being able to contain himself, asked, 'Do you know what it is?'

'Something from Mr. Howard Schultz. He said that it's important.' The man said, handing him a slip of paper to sign.

Derek scribbled something barely legible of his name, handed it back to the man, and said, 'Muchas gracias.' And couldn't help but smile in spite of himself.

Once the delivery truck drove away, Derek walked back inside, vaguely aware that he was wearing an old Led Zeppelin T-shirt, and plaid pajama bottoms. He ran to the kitchen, found the letter-opener, and set to his business.

'Whatcha doing?' Edwin walked into the kitchen, and looked over his shoulder.

'Ed? Private stuff. Not for you.' Derek said, feeling annoyed by his younger brother.

'Sorry,' Edwin said, throwing his hands into the air, in a helpless expression, 'Sorry for being curious.'

'Yeah, yeah.' Derek said, walking out of the kitchen, in hopes of finding some well-deserved peace and quiet.

'Smerek?' a small voice called out, catching Derek off guard.

'Smarti?' Derek asked, looking under the dining room table, where his youngest sister sat, surrounded by stuffed animals, and her best friend, Dimi.

'Is that a letter for me?' Marti asked, looking out from under the table, towards the still unread envelope in her big brother's hand.

'Sorry, Smarti. But this is for me.' Derek said, sighing. 'I'll be upstairs if you need me, okay?'

'Okay, Smerek.' Marti said, not offended in the least by her brother's dismissal.

Derek was halfway up the stairs, when Marti called out, 'Guess what Derek?'

'What?' Derek said, not caring about what his little sister had to say.

'Me and Dimi are getting married!' she announced happily, Dimi sitting next to her, smiling.

Derek rolled his eyes. 'Wow, Smarti. Can I come to your wedding?' But he didn't wait to hear a response, and he was up in his room a second later.

He opened the letter carefully, and pulled out the single sheet of paper. 'Dear Derek Venturi,' he started to read out loud.

_Dear Derek Venturi,_

_As you know, your episode of the show, The Moment Of Truth, is airing on February 14__th__, so on the 7__th__, and you will need to come to the studio to be asked the questions for the show. As you also know, you will be attached to a polygraph, so be prepared. _

_I will look to see you then, _

_H. Schultz._

He smiled to himself, and thought out loud, 'This money is mine!'


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! So this is the last chapter of 'And For The Moment Of Truth'. Thanks so much for all of the reviews, story alerts, and favourite stories! So tell me what you think, and if you think I should do an epilogue. Enjoy!!**

Derek woke up to the loud buzzing coming from his cell phone. Eyes still closed, he opened it and turned off the alarm, grumbling. While he was contemplating whether he should get up or stay in bed, there was a knock on the door.

'What?' He said flatly, hoping that who ever it was at his door would get the message and go away.

'Derek?' George asked, opening the door and looking in. 'Today's the big day; are you ready?'

Derek's eyes shot open. The Moment Of Truth. Today. His stomach was suddenly in a huge knot. 'Yeah, I think so.'

'Good.' George said, 'But there's a slight problem.'

'What kind of problem?' Derek said, sitting up in his bed.

'Casey won't be able to come until later today.' George said, sighing. 'But she'll still be coming to the show.'

Derek thought about this, and shrugged. He had been planning on taking Casey out today, but since she was coming back to Canada, hopefully for good, there would be more opportunities to take his girlfriend out to lunch. And when he won the five hundred thousand dollars, he would be able to take her out to somewhere expensive.

George looked at his son, deep in thought, and decided to leave. He knew that he would be fantasizing about the piles of money that he would hopefully be winning that night, at the game show.

He got out of his bed, sifted through the piles of clothes, which he had chosen to leave on the ground, and settled for a blue-and-white button down shirt, and a nice pair of jeans. He ran a brush through his messy brown hair, and practiced his victory smile in the mirror that was hanging off the wall on the side of his room.

He walked downstairs, and was greeted by Nora, who was beckoning banana muffins. Grabbing one, he walked out to The Prince, and with that, he drove to the production studio.

--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--

'Mr. Venturi?' an attractive woman from behind the desk at the studio asked.

'That's me.' He said, professionally.

'You're just on time; Mr. Schultz will be seeing you in a few minutes.'

'Thanks.' Derek sat down in closest hard, black plastic seat in the reception room; a small but cozy room, with the walls painted a cool, calming green. There were black-and-white pictures on the walls, and the furniture and decorations were black, which added a touch of chic in the waiting room.

A few minutes later, he heard his name being called, and once again, Derek answered with, 'That's me.'

'You can come in now, to be asked questions for the show.' Derek turned around to see Howard Schultz, producer of the show.

He stood up, and followed the man into a small room. There was recording equipment, and speakers, with a man setting up a microphone.

'This is Dan.' Mr. Schultz introduced him to the small, balding man, who raised a hand, and said, 'hey.'

'Sup?' Derek asked, in return, raising his hand in a welcoming gesture.

'Dan's going to be the one asking the questions, and controlling the polygraph. That's what we hook you up to when we ask the questions, to see if you're lying or not. Do you understand?'

Derek nodded. Edwin had bought a polygraph when he was fifteen, from the back of a magazine. Him and Lizzie had tried to solve household mysteries, such as who had eaten the last cookie, or who had left the muddy footprints in the kitchen. The polygraph had worked for about a month, until Marti had tried it, and dropped it in the bathtub.

Mr. Schultz left, with a wave of his hand, and Dan had gotten to work, setting up the equipment, and hooking Derek up to the polygraph with various wires and microphones, attached to his clothes.

'Okay, so you're going to sit right there,' He pointed to one of the two chairs in the room, 'and I'm going to ask you fifty questions.' You answer, with as much truth as you can, and the polygraph will see whether you told the truth or not. This program on the computer will record the questions and your answers, so on the show, if you answer wrong, you'll know. Okay?'

Derek felt a bit overwhelmed, but nonetheless agreed. He sat down, and took a deep breath.

'First question; out of your five guests, have you ever gone out with any of them?'

Derek thought about this; Sally, he had gone out with, but that was short-lived, and he was currently going out with Casey. 'Yeah.' He answered.

'Second question; have you ever gone out with your best friend's girlfriend?'

Casey was technically Sam's ex-girlfriend, 'Yup.' He answered, smirking slightly, without going into details.

All of the questions were like that: easy to answer, without revealing too much. Some of them asked about his family, and whether he missed his family living together. Others asked about the girlfriends he had had over the years, how many, and if he regretted breaking up with any of them.

'Question 33; Have you ever gone out with your sibling's-' Derek felt his breath catch in his throat, 'girlfriends?' He sighed in relief, but thought about it before he answered. 'Nah.'

'Question 34; have you ever had feelings for a relative?' Derek smiled, thinking about Vicky, Casey and Lizzie's cousin, who had come for her mother's wedding. 'Yes.'

Then the questions started getting more personal, wanting to know more details. Questions eighteen and nineteen were about how far he had gotten with a girl, and trying to list all of the places that they had done It.

'For the last two questions on the show,' Dan started, catching Derek's attention, 'you won't have heard them before. It'll be a surprise. That's how we get the viewer's ratings.'

Derek shrugged. 'I guess that's okay. I mean, how personal could they be, right?'

Dan cracked a wry smile. 'There's no need to be worried. The questions that are going to be asked are kind of obscure. I mean, they're about having feelings for your parent's friends and things. Completely ridiculous things.'

'It's not that I'm worried; it's just that I thought that you were supposed to ask _all_ of the questions, you know what I mean?' Derek tried to explain, without sounding desperate.

'Yeah, I do. But you'll be fine.' Dan reassured.

'Thanks, man.' Derek said, 'But can I go now? I have a few errands to run before tonight.'

'Go ahead.' He pointed towards to large, soundproof door that had been locked shut for the past hour.

'See ya, Dan.' Derek said, collecting his bag, and making his way towards the door.

Once he got out, he made his way over to his car, and started to make his way home.

--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--

'Derek!' He heard the cry before he saw her. Casey, the girl he had been waiting for months for. Right there, running towards his outstretched arms, grinning from ear to ear.

'Case, I missed you so much.' He murmured into her hair, which smelled faintly like strawberries.

'Me too.' She said before she remembered of that night's plans. 'Are you ready for your big TV debut?'

He grinned. 'I'm so ready. This time tomorrow, you and I will be rolling in the cash.'

'Sure, Derek. Whatever you say.' She grinned back.

'So,' Derek started, looking at her seriously, taking a step away from her, 'What didja bring me?'

She sighed, pointing to the carousel of baggage of all shapes and sizes, 'It's all in my suitcase, which I need help with, by the way.'

'Anything for you,' he said sarcastically, before adding, 'But seriously, what _did_ you bring me?'

--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--

Once they were at the filming studio, Derek developed a large knot in the bottom of his stomach. He knew that within just two hours, he could be the winner of five hundred thousand dollars. Just the thought of all that money made his pulse quicken. He could do nearly whatever he wanted, and he could do something nice for him and Casey.

'Mr. Venturi, are you ready? You have to go to hair and make-up now.' A man, whom Derek recognized as Dan, the man from earlier, called out to him, as he was reading off a clipboard.

'Yeah, I'm ready... but make-up?' Derek said, sporting a look of confusion.

'To make sure the stage lights don't drown out your face.' Dan started, 'I don't really understand it either, but you gotta look beautiful for the camera, right?'

'Exactly.' Derek said, grinning at the joke. 'But it's natural, right? I won't look like a drag queen?'

'Well, if you wanted to, I guess they could manage that…' Dan chuckled at the thought.

Derek started to laugh, when a woman, dressed in all black, approached him, with another clipboard. 'Mr. Venturi? Show starts in five. We need you out on the stage.'

He walked out onto the stage, where the show would take place. There was a set of sleek, black leather chairs, where the host and the participant would sit, and a table in between them, with a variety of props, including a vase full of bright, yellow daisies, and a small, black unidentifiable piece of equipment, which Derek could only assume was the polygraph, for the extra question at the end of the show. Behind the chairs, there was a large screen, which, at the moment, remained black. Off to the side, there were lots of people with different roles, but all dressed in an identical fashion of all black.

He sat down in one of the chairs, and waited for someone to come out and to inform him of what he was supposed to be doing.

--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--AndForTheMomentOfTruth--

'And now... for The Moment Of Truth!' a loud, booming voice announced, and a spotlight shone on Derek and the host, Mark Walburg. 'This is Derek Venturi, and he's here to win five hundred thousand dollars!'

Derek smiled, and waved to the crowd. He could vaguely see his dad, Nora, Sam, Sally and Casey, sitting in the front row, cheering along with the rest of the people in the audience.

'Derek Venturi is from London, Ontario, and he likes to have fun! His hobbies include hockey, and playing in his band, D-Rock!' the automated voice said, showing an short video from earlier that day, of him being set up for the polygraph.

'Okay, Derek. You know the drill. The questions that we're about to ask you have already been asked this morning. You were attached to a polygraph, so we could record your answers. Are you ready?'

Derek nodded and took a deep breath.

'First question; do you miss your family living together?'

Derek thought about this before answering. He did miss his mom and dad being in the same room, but on the other hand, his parent's divorce had led him to Casey. 'No. Not really.' He answered, finally.

'Not really? Does that mean you kind of miss them?' the host asked, staring at the contestant.

'I mean, I miss the times when they were together, but I know that they divorced for a good reason. They just didn't get along. I know that Nora is a much better match for my dad, and they seem happy together.' Derek said, choosing his words carefully.

Mark nodded, and turned to the screen behind them. 'Is that the right answer?'

The screen, now baring the logo for the show, turned blue, while the machine deliberated. 'And the answer is… True!'

The audience applauded, and Derek sighed with relief. He knew that the answer was true from the beginning, but he never liked the feeling of not knowing what was going to happen next. He liked having every move planned out, yet having a bit of room for surprise.

'Question six; Okay, second question; on an estimation, how many girlfriends do you think you've had?'

Derek grinned. He had had many girlfriends over the years, his first being in kindergarten. With a quick count on his fingers, he finally said 'About twenty-five?'

'Wow.' The host said, grinning at the teenager. 'And that's just an estimation? But is that the right answer?'

Again, the screen behind them turned blue, as it decided whether that answer was true or not. 'And the answer is… true!'

'Good job, Derek. You have just won ten thousand dollars! That's the first step towards the five hundred thousand dollars you could be walking away with tonight!' Mark smiled at the camera, while reading off the teleprompter. 'The next question is… coming up right after the break! Stay tuned, folks!'

'Derek,' Mark said, while a woman from the crew was powdering his nose, 'you're doing well out there; I like how you think before you answer, but you don't seem nervous at all.'

'Thanks.' Derek said, 'I already had a pep talk this morning from Dan.' he gestured to the man behind the teleprompter, who gave a small wave at the two men.

'Well, good luck.' Mark said, offering a hand.

Derek took his hand, and shook it. He was grateful that the host seemed nice. He had heard stories of the hosts acting as if you were long lost friends during the show, but once the cameras weren't rolling, they acted as if they didn't know you.

'Cameras rolling in five… four…three…' the men behind the cameras yelled, before holding up two fingers, then one.

On cue, the audience clapped and cheered as Mark walked back onto the stage, joining Derek, who hadn't moved since the last time they had been on air.

'Derek, are you ready for your next question?' he asked, receiving a nod from his slightly nervous contestant.

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'Edwin! It's on!' Lizzie yelled from the living room.

'Hold on, the popcorn's almost ready.' Edwin called back from where he was standing by the microwave in the kitchen. They had been anxious to see their big brother on TV from the moment that they had arrived home from school. They had wanted to be at the taping of the show, but there wasn't enough room, so their parents had given them money for pizza and chips.

'There's Derek!' she squealed, pointing at the TV screen.

'My big brother, the reality TV star.' Edwin said, shaking his head.

'Shhh!' Lizzie said, hitting him lightly on the arm, in attempt for him to be quiet.

'Jeez. Sorry!' Edwin said, throwing his hands up in the air, but Lizzie wasn't paying any attention to her step-brother.

The camera had just started the close-up of Derek's face, and the crowd applauded. An automated voice said, 'Derek Venturi is from London, Ontario, and he likes to have fun! His hobbies include hockey, and playing in his band, D-Rock!' The host walked onto the set, and started asking him questions.

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The rest of the questions were easy to answer, and Derek answered them all correctly. Some of the questions were harder, when he had to explain what he was thinking, but as he worked his way up to the grand prize of half a million dollars, he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach about the last question.

'Question eleven; Have you ever gone out with your sibling's girlfriends?'

Derek didn't even need to think about that, 'Nope.' He said, with certainty.

The screen deliberated, and said, 'And the answer is… true!'

'Right now, you're at twenty-five thousand dollars. You have a choice. You can continue being asked questions, or you can walk away with the money you have. Which will it be?'

'I'm going to…' Derek paused, looking over at his family, 'Go for the money!' The crowd cheered.

'Now, this is the first question that Derek won't have already answered. We're going to attach him to a polygraph, so that we can see if he's being truthful with us.' The smiling game show host said, gesturing for the stagehands to come out with various wires and clips.

Derek turned to face the audience as they clapped. He saw Casey sitting with the rest of his guests in the front row. He could tell that she was happy that she was here, but he could see a feeling of uncertainty in her eyes, even from so far away.

'Question twenty; where is the strangest place that you have taken a girl on a date?'

Derek thought about this. Him and Casey had done many strange things on their dates, including a go-kart track, an opera, and the library, but nothing compared to his answer, 'The strangest place wasn't chosen by me; it was the girl who wanted to go to a cemetery. She danced on the graves and we had a picnic. It was completely strange.'

The audience was completely silent for a minute, until the host said, 'Wow, that is strange. Now, is that true?'

The screen turned a mysterious shade of red while it decided. Derek could feel his hands start to sweat, and the wires sticking to his hand were feeling uncomfortable. 'And the answer is… true!'

Derek sighed a huge sigh of relief. 'What kind of girl was that?' he asked, smiling at Derek. 'And now, for the five hundred thousand dollar question, are you ready?'

Derek nodded, and took a deep breath, 'Question twenty-one; you were asked earlier if you have ever gone out with your guests,' he gestured to the front row, 'but you never told us whom. For the five hundred thousand dollar question, I want you to tell us who that lucky girl is!'

Derek felt his jaw drop. Dan had assured him that there were no questions that were like that; so personal that he could break his relationship. He really wanted the money, but on the other hand, he didn't want the world to know that he was dating his stepsister. If anyone found out, including his parents, he could be in big trouble. It was weird enough that him and Casey weren't fighting like they used to, but it was for a completely different reason. Nora and George thought that they had just come to understand each other when they were locked in the upstairs bathroom, but they had been kissing out their problems, not talking them out. If his friends found out, they might think he was weird to be dating his sister, even if they weren't related by blood. He had to make a decision; to tell the world and win the money, or keep that a secret and lose all he could have won.

He was weighing the pros and cons, when Mark looked at him expectantly, 'Derek? Are you okay?'

'Y-Yeah. I'm fine.' Derek said, nodding his head slightly.

'So what is your answer?' the host asked, staring at him.

'Um, my answer is… her,' he said, pointing at Sally, 'and her.' And he pointed to Casey, with a shaking hand.

'So you've dated Sally and Casey?' He said, 'But isn't Casey your sister?'

'No. She's my stepsister. We aren't related by blood.' Derek said, looking at his family. Nora and George looked stunned, looking at Derek, then at Casey, and then back at Derek. Sally and Sam looked pleased; they had known about the two of them for a while. Sally had been pestering Derek about not keeping it a secret for a long time, and Sam had been trying to convince his ex-girlfriend that they should just tell their parents. Casey just sat there, looking pale and scared.

'Okay. So let's see what the polygraph has to say.' The host said, looking slightly disturbed at the young contestant's answer.

The screen took longer than it should have to show the answer, and everyone was holding his or her breath to find out the answer. 'And the answer is… True!'

Derek let out his breath, and looked at Mark Walburg. 'Congratulations, Derek! You've just won five hundred thousand dollars!'

Derek looked at Casey, who gave him a small smile. His parents, no matter how mad, still looked proud of their son. And Sam and Sally, who were now holding hands, were beaming, although Derek suspected that it had more to do than his winning the five hundred thousand dollars.

White and blue balloons fell from the ceiling; everyone was being showered with confetti. Everyone was cheering, even after the camera went off air.

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'Casey's going out with Derek?' Lizzie's jaw dropped. 'But they haven't said anything!'

Edwin didn't say anything, but continued to stare at the screen, dumbfounded. Surely Derek would have told him something like this. Edwin told Derek all about his girlfriends.

'I can't believe Casey didn't tell me! I mean, I _am_ her sister! What does she take me for, huh?' Lizzie ranted, before noticing her mute step-brother. 'Edwin? You okay?'

'I-I just can't believe Derek didn't tell me.' Edwin finally said in a small voice.

Lizzie felt pity for her step-brother. He might be extremely annoying at times, but she knew how much he looked up to his older brother. She put her arm around his shoulders, and said, 'Well, at least he'll buy you something nice!'

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Derek walked over to his friends and family, scared of what their reaction might be. Before he could look at his parents, Casey, Sally and Sam came over.

'Congratulations!' cried Casey, flinging her arms around him, pulling him into a hug.

'Good job, Dude.' was Sam's response.

'I hope you know that you're going to be buying me something really nice.' Said Sally, grinning at her friend.

'Thanks guys,' he said, looking at his three friends, 'and no.' to Sally. 'But what did my parents have to say?'

'Well-' Sally started to say, but was interrupted by Nora and George, who had marched over, staring at their son.

'We'll tell you what we have to say.' George said coldly, 'Outside.'

George and Nora led Derek and Casey out to the back of the building, where no one else could hear them.

'What were you thinking?' George started in on him, 'Humiliating us like that, no less on national TV! Now we're going to be the laughing stock of the country. Thanks a lot. Honestly, what was going through your mind, keeping something like that from us?'

'I um, thought you would be mad, I guess.' Derek said, taking a deep breath.

'Mad? We're beyond furious! How do you think I feel? Now the rest of the freaking world will think you two are freaks!' George yelled, before Nora tapped her husband's arm gently.

'Guys, I know this is hard for us being parents, and seeing our oldest children liking each other, but I guess that's something we'll just have to get used to. But we're not mad; we're just disappointed that you didn't come to us first. Do you understand?'

Before Derek could come up with something to say, Casey stepped in, 'Mom, George, we're really, really sorry that we didn't tell you when we found out, but we thought that you'd have a reaction like that.' Casey pointed to George.

'Casey, Derek, I just need time, is that so hard to understand?' he yelled the last part, before storming off to the parking lot, where he got into his car, and drove off.

Casey burst into tears, and Nora tried to comfort her, but Derek couldn't move. How could his father be so cruel? George had always promised to be there for the important moments of his life: sports achievements, new girlfriends, and major changes. He had stuck by Derek and Edwin when him and Abby, the kid's mother, had divorced. He had wanted them to live with him full time, and had gone to court to battle it out. He had been there to comfort them through the bad times, break-ups, fights, and painful times. He had always tried to make things right, why couldn't this time be any different? How come he had to blow up right then? This was supposed to be one of the happiest times in his life, but Derek was feeling the worst he ever had.

Trying to act like nothing had happened, Nora spoke up and said, 'Who wants to go for ice cream?'

Casey nodded miserably, but Derek was still rooted to the spot, and didn't move until Casey came over, put her arm over his shoulder, and guided him over to Derek's car. The ride to the local ice cream shop was unbearable. The silence was enough to strangle them, and Derek wasn't comfortable until Nora pulled up into the parking lot for the ice cream parlor.

Walking in, Derek craned his neck to see if his father was anywhere close to where the rest of his family was, but the other car was nowhere to be seen. Casey and Nora placed their orders, and when they noticed that Derek wasn't going to be saying anything, Nora ordered for him.

As they were walking over to the only available red Formica table, Derek kept his eye open for the car in the parking lot. Once or twice, he thought he had spotted the black Honda, but they hadn't belonged to his father.

The two girls started in on their ice cream, but Derek gave up after one bite. Nora noticed the strange silence coming from her step-son, so she said, 'Listen, Derek. I'm sure he'll come back. He just needs time to adjust.'

Derek looked up. 'But what if he doesn't? What if he just packs up, and leaves forever?'

'Derek? I'm positive that that won't happen, okay?'

He nodded. If there were anyone to try to smooth the waters, it would be Nora. She was the peacemaker of the family, and she kept everyone sane.

'Mom, Derek.' Casey said pointing to the window, causing Derek to flinch. She hadn't contributed to the conversation, since she had placed her ice cream order. 'Look, there's George.'

Both Derek and Nora craned their necks, and sure enough, George was there, getting out of his car, and walking over. He didn't seem to notice that they were there. When he noticed them, he started to turn around, but seemed to change his mind, and continued to walk towards the store.

'Derek?' he asked meekly, when he reached his family, 'can I talk to you outside?'

Derek nodded wordlessly, and obediently followed his father out to the parking lot.

'Listen. What I did was completely stupid. I shouldn't have yelled, or drove off. I'll admit, it _did_ help me blow off some steam, but it was immature, and I'm sure you and Casey thought that it was kind of mean. I'm so sorry, really, I am.'

Derek thought about this, and decided to forgive his father. He took a deep breath before saying, 'Dad. What you did _was_ mean, but I guess that's what you needed to do. I mean, that's what _I_ do, but as long as you came back, I guess I can forgive you.'

Before anything else could be said, Derek pulled his father into an embrace, just as Casey and Nora were walking out.

George repeated his speech to Casey, and she had the same reaction. After they hugged, Nora gave a little laugh, 'I guess everything's back to normal, eh?'

'Case?' Derek asked nervously, gesturing over a few feet from their parents, 'Can I talk to you?'

Casey walked over, and threw her arms around Derek. 'What's up?'

'I-I just wanted to tell you how much I love you. You know that, right?' Derek stuttered, trying not to show her how nervous he was.

'Der. Of course I know that. But do you know how much I love you back?'

'It all depends.' Derek said, smirking slightly.

'It all depends on what?' Casey asked, confused.

'On this.' And with that, he leaned down and kissed her. Her eyes widened, then she smiled as she kissed her boyfriend back.

George and Nora walked over, and smiled at each other. 'I wonder what would happen if Lizzie and Edwin were here.' George said.

Everyone else laughed, and they walked back into the ice cream parlor, where they spent over two hours talking. There was a lot more ice cream consumed, and a lot more laughs shared. After about fifteen reminders that the store was closing, the four walked to their separate cars, and drove away. Even though they were a mixed family, they were closer than ever.

**Thanks alot guys! I hope you enjoyed it! 3 3 **


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